QMI Agency

The 30-year-old former Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender announced his retirement from hockey Monday night on RDS.

Leclaire said tried to make a comeback this year but was unable to fully recover after three hip operations over the summer.

Although he played parts of seven seasons in the NHL, the Repentigny, Que., native only appeared in 173 games in a career chock full of injuries.

A leg injury during the 2006-07 season cost him his starting job with the Blue Jackets. He regained his No. 1 status during a spectacular 2007-08 season -- he went 24-17-6 with a 2.25 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and had nine shutouts -- but was traded to the Senators after suffering a season-ending ankle injury at the start of the 2008-09 campaign. He ended up playing just 48 games for Ottawa over two injury-riddled seasons.

Leclaire ends his career with a 61-76-15 record, a 2.89 GAA and .904 SV%. His last NHL game was Dec. 16, 2010.

STEWART JOINS PIRATES AGAIN

St. Louis Blues forward Chris Stewart is headed back to the Crimmitschau Ice Pirates of the German Bundesliga after a brief foray in the top Czech League.

Stewart left Liberec of the Czech league after just five games to return to Crimmitschau, according to the German team's website. The 25-year-old signed with the Ice Pirates in early September, along with Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, but left for the Czech club after playing just nine games.

"The guys loved playing in Crimmitschau," Eustace King, the agent for Stewart and Simmonds, told NBC Sports' Pro Hockey Talk. "The fans were one of the best they ever played in front of and the coach and management treated them first class."

Stewart had five goals and six assists in his first nine games with Crimmitschau.

TYUTIN HIS HORN

Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Fedor Tyutin waited longer than many but he's finally decided to head home to play some games.

The 29-year-old Russian has signed with Atlant Mytishchi of the KHL, a move confirmed by interim coach Alexander Smirnov in a report on the RiaNovosti website.

"Fedor Tyutin will join our team in the nearest future," Smirnov said.

Tyutin has spent the last four seasons with the Blue Jackets after being traded by the New York Rangers. He is the fifth Columbus player to sign a lockout deal.

BRIEFLY

Defenceman Bruno Gervais of the Philadelphia Flyers will play for Heilbronner in Germany, according to his agent, Alan Walsh. Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier signed with Heilbronner in mid-October ... Unrestricted free agent forward Jesse Winchester, who was in the Ottawa Senators organization the past five years, has agreed to play for TuTo of the Finnish second division. Winchester missed 44 games last season due to a concussion ... Los Angeles Kings defenceman Alec Martinez could be out for an extended period after taking a puck in the face while playing for TPS Turku in Finland. According to mayorsmanor.com, a Kings blog, Martinez was hospitalized after being hit by a shot from Juha Leimu.